AP

Serena’s Choice: Williams’ tough call resonates with women

Aug 9, 2022, 10:33 AM | Updated: Aug 10, 2022, 9:19 am

FILE - Serena Williams attends the Balmain Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, ...

FILE - Serena Williams attends the Balmain Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, FIle)

(Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, FIle)


              FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, celebrates after defeating Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, to win the women's finals championship match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams of the U.S. returns in the final of the French Open tennis tournament against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Saturday, June 6, 2015. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams said Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams attends the Balmain Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, FIle)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams, of the U.S., celebrates as she defeats Russia's Maria Sharapova during the women's final match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium Saturday, June 8, 2013 in Paris. Williams won 6-4, 6-4. Serena Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams of the United States screams in her match against her sister, Venus, in the women's singles final at the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Rick Stevens, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams of the United States holds the trophy during a photo call after beating Justine Henin of Belgium, to win the women's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/John Donegan, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams attends the Gucci "Love Parade" fashion show on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams arrives for the "Fashion Rocks" event at New York's Radio City Music Hall, Wednesday Sept. 8, 2004. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition on Monday, May 6, 2019, in New York. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, makes a return to compatriot Lindsay Davenport during their semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, in New York. Saying “the countdown has begun,” 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
            
              FILE - Serena Williams holds the championship trophy after beating Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, in the championship match at the 2012 U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, in New York. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams said it plainly: It isn’t really fair. A male athlete would never have to make the same choice.

But after a trailblazing career that both transformed and transcended her sport, Williams, who turns 41 next month, has told the world she’ll soon step away from tennis to focus on having a second child and making her daughter, Olympia, a big sister. Her explanation in a lengthy Vogue essay resonated with women in sports and well beyond, many of whom could relate only too well to her words, “Something’s got to give.” And to the idea that, no, you really can’t have it all — at least, not all at the same time.

Many noted that Williams’ achievements, which included winning a major when two months pregnant, had made her seem superhuman. But, said Sherie Randolph, even ordinary women are expected to seamlessly combine work and motherhood.

“Society makes women think they can have everything all at once — be the best hands-on-mom and at the top of the field,” said Randolph, a history professor at Georgia Tech and founder of a Black feminist think tank who’s working on a book about African American mothers.

“But that just is not borne out in reality for most women,” she said. “What ends up happening is that working mothers are just worn out and overworked trying to labor at the highest level of two demanding jobs — motherhood and their profession.” As if to prove her point, Randolph’s 4-year-old son constantly interrupted her thoughts about Williams’ decision as she tried to discuss them in a phone call.

In explaining how her daughter yearned to be a big sister, Williams noted she didn’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete: “I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

“Believe me,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion also wrote, “I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”

“Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity,” she added, a reference to the 45-year-old superstar quarterback who recently retired, then reversed his decision 40 days later.

Many women, discussing Williams’ announcement, reflected on their own agonizing choices in the name of “having it all.”

“Even as a woman who sits at a desk, whose body is not taxed by the work at hand, I have felt that searing pulling apart of myself — towards my career, and towards my family,” said Jo McKinney, 57, a New York advertising executive.

“Now, looking back, I wish that every time I chose my family over my job … it didn’t label me as unambitious,” she said. “I got goosebumps as I read Serena’s piece because she said what many of us feel and are afraid to voice: It’s not fair, and something’s got to give.”

Such dilemmas are exacerbated in sports, said Lisa Banks, a prominent Washington employment attorney specializing in both gender and sports cases.

“Having it all is a subjective thing,” she said. “You can have it all, but can you have it at the same time and the same level, if you’re going through pregnancies? No, you miss some time, you miss training. You’re necessarily at a disadvantage.”

The issue has been illustrated vividly in track and field. U.S. sprinters Allyson Felix and Alysia Montano became advocates for mothers when they split with Nike over contract clauses that reduced salaries when they became pregnant.

Four-time Olympic champion sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross retired after the 2016 Olympics before starting a family with her husband, former NFL defensive back Aaron Ross.

“I always knew I didn’t want to start a family while I was still competing,” she said. “I feel being an athlete is the most selfish role you could have because it’s always all about you. Resting, recovering, training. Everything is so hyper-focused on the athlete. And being a parent is the opposite of that.”

Of Williams’ decision, she said, “I don’t want to say it’s unfair, but it’s a harsh reality and harsh truth that as an elite female athlete, we definitely have to consider a lot of things our male counterparts don’t.”

Distance runner Kara Goucher, who also fought battles over pregnancy pay, said people are starting to acknowledge the issue, and careers are lasting longer. But she added: “You see the dad at the Super Bowl holding his kids. The reason he’s able to do that … is because someone else is there taking care of their children. That’s not how it is for mothers.”

Like Williams when she won the Australian Open in 2017, beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings was newly pregnant when she won a gold medal in London in 2012.

“I think at some point, you gotta make that choice,” she said. “Ultimately it’s very clear that that clock is ticking. Usually, being a mama wins out.”

But Walsh Jennings expects Williams to keep building her legacy. (Williams has become a venture capitalist with her Serena Ventures, and is a fashion designer, among other things.) “She has earned the right to stop and breathe, and to grow her family,” she said.

Tennis legend Chris Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, retired at 34 and started a family two years later. “The motherhood/tennis career subject is not one I experienced,” she said in an email message. “I wanted and chose to spend every second with my children. That was my choice but doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone.

“As far as Serena, I think this is the right time,” Evert said. “She’s squeezed everything she could out of her game. … She’s transcended tennis and become a leader on many important cultural, social and gender issues. She has lived an extraordinary life and will undoubtedly continue to crash the glass ceiling.”

One thing is clear: The U.S. Open, after which Williams strongly hinted she’ll retire, will be a huge draw. Ticket sales were sharply up on Tuesday, said Kirsten Corio, chief commercial officer for the U.S. Tennis Association.

A mother of two herself, Corio said of Williams’ announcement that “the realization is a little bit crushing, that as a woman you can’t do both as an athlete at the top of your game.”

“It’s a lot of emotions to process, both as a fan of sports and of working moms,” she said. “The one emotion that I can boil it down to, really, is just gratitude.”

Dearica Hamby was also feeling gratitude. Williams, said the WNBA player for the Las Vegas Aces, has been “an example for a lot of us, especially mothers being able to compete at such a high level.”

Still, Hamby, who like Williams has a daughter, 5-year-old Amaya, said the tennis star’s call was a hard one — and it’s a discussion she’s been having a lot lately with coaches and players.

“You’re almost forced to choose,” she said of motherhood and pro sports. “It’s the reality of the world we live in. I mean, are men gonna start having kids? It’s the hard reality of the world.”

___

AP writers Maryclaire Dale, Howard Fendrich, Eddie Pells and Willie Ramirez contributed to this report.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Serena’s Choice: Williams’ tough call resonates with women